Page 27 of Take Me Home

“Miss Hattie, will you play horses with me some more?” Tripp asks her.

Hattie grins, standing and striding toward him.

My eyes don’t leave her as she walks. The woman has a sexy walk, one where her hips sway with confidence. When she reaches Tripp, she sinks down and sits on the wood floor with her legs crossed.

Hattie’s expression is soft as she looks at Tripp. He holds out one of his favorite toy horses for her and she takes it, then makes it nicker and neigh. Her equestrian sounds are surprisingly realistic, making Tripp giggle.

I never imagined I’d see this woman down on the ground playing with toys, but she’s clearly enjoying herself. Hattie’s grinning as she arranges Tripp’s horses inside his toy barn, and I find it difficult to take my eyes off her.

She might be too high maintenance for me, but I can appreciate a beautiful woman when I see one. And everything about Hattie is beautiful…except her attitude.

Realizing I’m staring, I shrug off the door frame and head toward the stairs. I need to put distance between myself and the gorgeous woman in my living room before I keep staring at her like a pre-pubescent boy.

Unfortunately, Poppy follows me and clears her throat. “Well, well, well,” she whispers.

I come to a stop on the first step, looking down at my sister.

She’s smirking and shaking her head slowly as she looks at me.

“Well, what?”

“Well, Hattie’s really pretty, isn’t she?” Poppy waggles her eyebrows.

I scoff. “Are we done here? Because I’m gonna be late for dinner.”

Poppy sighs. “Fine, play dumb. But I saw the way you looked at her.”

Pretending not to hear my sister’s statement, I continue up the stairs to get away from her.

When I walk into Bobcat’s Beer Garden, country music thumps through the speakers. The bar isn’t busy since it’s a random weeknight, so I spot Jackson and Owen quickly.

I slide into the booth beside Owen. He must’ve come straight from work since he’s still wearing a gray polo with his Davis Homes logo.

“Well, look who’s finally crawled out from under his rock?” Owen teases. “I thought maybe you’d been abducted.”

I shove him, feeling like we’re boys again. I’ve known Owen since we were in diapers.

Jackson laughs from across the table. “Maybe there’s a different reason he’s been absent…is there something you want to tell us, Linc?” Jackson has only lived in Honey Badger Creek for a few years. He grew up in D.C. and moved here to run the medical clinic after the previous doctor retired.

“Wait, what did I miss?” Owen’s head whips between the two of us.

Jackson smirks. “Word around town is there’s a gorgeous redhead running around the ranch…weird that Linc hasn’t mentioned her.”

Owen’s jaw drops. “You’re kidding. Ralph told me this rumor when I was at Coyote Hardware earlier, but I thought he was full of shit.”

“We’re waiting, Linc. The longer you stay silent, the more suspicious I am.” Jackson leans forward, resting his elbows on the table.

I roll my eyes. “You assholes are worse than the nosy old women who post on the Honey Badger social media page. Yes, there’s a woman staying at the ranch. Whispering Pines has guests throughout the year, but you’ve never seemed interested until now.”

Jackson’s eyebrows raise high on his forehead. “Maybe I haven’t been paying attention, but I’ve never noticed the ranch guests looking like her.”

Owen leans in toward Jackson. “You’ve seen her? I’m gonna need a description.”

Jackson stays silent, and that’s when understanding dawns on me. He met her when she and Hank went to the clinic for a DNA test. So, legally, he can’t say much.

Pinning him with a serious look, I steeple my fingers on the tabletop. “Yeah, Jackson, what does she look like?”

He pokes his tongue against the inside of his cheek. “HIPAA.”